Til Death
by Seena58
Summary: When students begin to crop up dead, no one knows what to think. But they know. There's a clue, right in front of them: a ring. It was just the beginning of an endless nightmare. [Various pairings]
1. Case 00 :endless tune:

**Disclaimer: **… disclaimed.

**Warnings:** Crack, blood, insanity. (Murder, death… you know, normal stuff)

**A/N:** Don't bother questioning me. While it can – by some miracle – be slotted into the Kamichama Karin chu storyline (if you try really, really hard), it's not pretty, so why would you associate this with it? Crack pairings are love, and the prologue doesn't make much sense. I am aware of that. Don't expect too much, I'm telling you now.

---

'**Til Death ****(shall you part…)**

**Case 00**

_can you hear it… a tune… endless… beautiful… mesmerising… you cannot know…_

---

She clawed desperately at the glass before her, but it was useless. Nothing – _nothing _– seemed to work and she couldn't escape, couldn't get out. And it _hurt_. It hurt so badly she just wanted to scream and sob, praying for someone – _to God, to whatever higher being up there,__** anyone**__ ­_– to end the nightmare.

But there was no one to come to her rescue, and she knew it. The knowledge alone was enough to send her into another fit; but she was already aware that falling into hysterics would _not_ help. Yet she couldn't ignore it, even if she closed her eyes and pretended that it wasn't happening (as if it was just some nightmare, where she would wake up at the last minute and find out it hadn't meant a thing).

That feeling; the sensation that she was slowly being crushed by some unseen force; she was being suffocated by everything. And, then, there was the unbearable knowledge that there was no way out. It never left her, as if it _wanted_ to haunt her thoughts.

_Why?_ She didn't even know why she was _here_. The darkness before her, that seemed to stretch off into nothingness; the gentle, rhythmic _click_ that seemed to slowly penetrate her mind as it continued – on and on and _on_ – endless, unfailing; the feeling that someone was slowly squeezing all the air out of her…

And she could feel the glass. Its cold surface – frosted? – impenetrable, no matter how hard she tried to break it. From what she knew, it was not like she had much space to move around in the first place.

It was cold, so cold she was afraid that it would eventually creep up to her: freeze her to death, with no saviour to prevent it. The smell that hovered around her and lingered in her mouth – in this small prison she seemed to be trapped in – sickened her, but she resisted the urge to throw up.

No, it wouldn't do. Not when the smell of blood already haunted her.

_Why? What did I do?_

Again, she tried to find her way out; and again, failed to make any progress. It was completely and utterly useless, and she just wanted to break down and cry. But her body felt too heavy for her, unlike her own, and she could only blink slowly, as she tried to make out what was in front of her.

There… _there?_ Something, nothing, everything.

She couldn't think, couldn't speak – or scream, or sob or just _talk_ – and nothing seemed to make sense. Nothing seemed important enough to care about.

_In… and out… nothing… something… there… but not…_

Silence.

---

_Click__, click, click…_

The sound echoed and fell into a constant cycle, one that made him frown; but not enough to try and make it stop. From the seated position, he had watched the young girl – an average-looking child, really – try to find her way out; clawing at the glass.

Her blood staining it with each failed attempt.

Slowly, she began to waver – he had been wondering how long this one would take before it was too much – and stopped struggling altogether. He watched as she slipped, further down, and seemed to crumple under her weight.

Eventually, he stood, leaned forward, and tapped the glass, fascinated with how his face reflected off the surface, stained with uneven streaks of blood.

_Tap, click, click…_

"Looks like you weren't compatible," he said. As the sentence lingered in the room, he turned to face the one other individual who was with him, "You know what to do. And leave no identifiable traces. Understood?"

They nodded.

"Go."

---

Aside from the crickets that chirped around them, there was silence. The creatures of night went about their own business – in a kill or be-killed fashion – as night continued with no one there to see, hear, and bear witness. It did not seem to matter that, by the next day, the peaceful life would, very much, be shattered at an instant. It did not occur to them; they were not to know.

The body of a girl – cooling rapidly as a gentle breeze passed by – lay, exposed to the world. Her hands were intertwined – as if in prayer – and lay across her chest, eyes closed, as if asleep. Her black school uniform and pale skin was stained with blood, as was the concrete around her, but there was no one to see her. The stench of death surrounded the area, as night continued on.

On her ring finger, a ring – so beautifully detailed it did not look right with the rest of the picture – seemed to gleam in what little moonlight was present. Time continued, and day would soon approach, to start anew.

It was the beginning of a horrific nightmare, and no one knew when it would end.


	2. Case 01 :unknown future:

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kamichama Karin chu or the characters associated with it. The OC is mine though, admittedly.

**Warnings:** … LOL, so many things that I can't list, because… well, you know. I dare you to read this, though. Come on, I know you want to.

**A/N:** Where not much actually really happens, but sets the ground for the 'horrors' to come. Have I scared you all away from ever trying to read interesting plots ever again? Eh -shrugs- On with the story. (By the way, the number of 'people not completely freaked out by this' has been bumped up to three. I feel accomplished.)

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'**Til Death (****shall you part…)**

**Case 01**

_we cannot know what the future has for us… but we shall try to guess… to know…_

---

"Have you guys seen this? It's horrible!"

Karin glanced up from her desk – as it had been incredibly fascinating, with a test coming up and all – and met Miyon's eyes, who brandished a newspaper like no tomorrow. For a moment, all the brunette could do was stare at the Korean girl, who seemed distressed for reasons she could not currently pinpoint.

Or perhaps her inability to keep track of things was due to the fact that Kazune had forced her to go into another cramming session, as he had believed that her grades had slipped (most likely due to his time of absence, despite how long ago it had been). She had replied to his claim with a curled fist to his face.

It might have been more than just one bruise, save for the fact that Himeka had returned with Suzune, and she had been forced to stop. (She didn't want to worry her future son any more than necessary, naturally.)

Kazune, obviously, had not forgiven her yet, as he had done nothing more than glare at her from across the room since that morning. Which, in itself, was a little strange, as they had been in more fights than either one could, or care, to remember. And Karin could not recall anything else she could have done to deserve such treatment (it wasn't like she could stop Jin _or_ Michiru acting like themselves).

Maybe the blond was just going through a mood swing of sorts; it was the only conclusion she could draw from the situation.

"Miyon-chan, what is it?" she asked, as her friend continued to wave the newspaper.

In reply, Miyon slapped the article down on Karin's desk, just as Himeka re-entered the room, "There, it's right there!"

Spread out on the front page, in large, bolded letters that not even she could ignore; Karin gaped soundlessly as Himeka reached her side. The dark-haired girl blinked as she inclined her head, curious, focused entirely on her friend.

"Karin-chan?" she ventured.

"T-t-t-this is…" spluttered Karin, as she waved a hand for Himeka to read the headline. As the other girl bent over for a better look, the brunette snapped her attention to her (currently angry) boyfriend, "Kazune-kun!"

She received a glare in reply, "What?"

"Take a look at this!"

"Kazune-chan, it's…" Himeka began, clearly shaken. Kazune rolled his eyes at the pair's – trio's, as Miyon was still distraught – actions. With an aggravated sigh, he got up and stalked over to where they were gathered.

The blond shot them each a separate look – which ranged from a raised eyebrow to an all-out glare – as he gave them a piece of his mind, "Really, I don't see what's so amazing that you all have to go and—…"

Whatever else he had planned to say faded from his lips, as his eyes finally fell on the paper they had all read. For a moment, all his mouth could do was open and close soundlessly, before he jerked his head away from it; "The _hell_? What _is _this?!"

"I… I don't know," Karin muttered, as she felt Himeka take her hand in an attempt for comfort. She squeezed her friend's hand, in a hope for reassurance, but felt no better herself. Miyon, too, had huddled closer to them, as if afraid that something bad was going to happen to her, if she was on her own.

They seemed to be unaware of the world around them; of their fellow classmates who chattered to one another fairly cheerfully during the start of a new school day. It was a normal, everyday occurrence – tests, homework, fights and necessary fangirl-ing (even if it was annoying) – and they were supposed to be amongst those who still did not know.

Like this. It wasn't supposed to be like this.

---

The paper sat, spread out, before him on the desk, as Kirio scanned the written columns. It seemed almost frantic in tone, with speculations already being made by the journalist themselves, as they tried to draw in the reader. And they had succeeded, even if he did not like it (the news was always so pointless and an insult to his intelligence, he believed), as he had found himself with the thing _now_.

Still, it was incredibly interesting. Although it may have merely been a decision on their part to try and make it sound more… dangerous. Deadly. As if no one was safe. He wanted to snort at the thought.

Though, it was still a little disturbing. While it was true that he did find other people's pain amusing, this had toed the line long before it had begun. Whoever was the cause of this had _leapt_ over the line, for all beings higher than they, without consideration for anything else.

Kirio frowned and leaned back, pulling his glasses off for a moment, as he tried to make sense of what he had just read. It seemed too ridiculous to be true, but at the same time he _knew_ that journalists wouldn't go so far as to concoct such a story, just for selling purposes.

So then… what was it?

There was the sound of crackling paper as he folded the newspaper back up, frustration evident on his face. He left the empty classroom, lunch having started without a second thought of him, and continued down the hall. His peers were scattered out on the school grounds – or the cafeteria – and he couldn't give much thought for most of them.

It wasn't like they cared much about him, either, so they were in complete agreement and went on with their own lives. Although, despite everything, at least some part of him felt lonely, and wished that he had not been the one who was different from them.

Not that he ever allowed himself to actually _listen_ to that part of him; it was too un-Kirio-like to even consider it. No, he had a task to do – and was the only one who could – and he did not need weaknesses. Of any sort.

Which brought him back to that… _her_.

Kirika. His own family.

He was aware that, somewhere out there, on the school grounds, she was there; still posed as a male student, still well-liked by the other students. Someone who was still level-headed and forever ready to listen to him, talk to him, try to keep him away from hurting himself… from getting into something he would later regret…

But no. Not now, after what had passed between them. Their views differed too much – something he had been aware of for a long time, but had tried to pretend that was not the case – and now, _now_, it was too much.

Perhaps it was all a misunderstanding in the end, but it _did_ hurt (although he would never admit it) that they were not on… completely good speaking terms.

Of course, he reminded himself, there was still Rika. And Shingen; although he was a little over-the-top at times (much like that boy… the one with the different-coloured eyes) when he shouldn't have been; and had a crush on Rika, it seemed.

Although it was a good form of distraction, Kirio knew better than to allow himself be caught up in his own thoughts, _feelings_, in such a way that he became vulnerable to the enemy. And there were more important things that he needed to discuss to the others (and Kirika, he supposed, if they ended up running into each other).

The newspaper tucked under his arm was a bearer of bad news, and revealed a disturbed side of reality they may have heard of, but never touched. It had always been a bit like some sort of other-world-type tale, a story to scare little children to stay in when it got dark, and not to walk out alone. They did not know of what danger lurked around them.

But this… this was something beyond all that, and it did not give him any form of comfort at all. They were part of a sick, twisted world, it seemed, and it did not get any better than that.

---

The door slid open to the sounds of students deep in discussion with each other, although there was something that seemed a _little_ out of place; as if it did not belong. Michiru wondered, for a moment, what it was, only to see Kazune, Karin, Himeka and Miyon standing there, silent.

It definitely looked out of place, that was for sure, he decided with a nod and a smile. As he felt decidedly smart at the deduction, he felt someone push into his back. Michiru watched as Jin slipped past him to make his way into the classroom.

"Karin!" the idol called, with the usual grin in place. He stopped, though, when Karin failed to return the gesture, as if confused. She seemed worried about something, Michiru noted, and it was something only the quartet knew.

Then Jin abruptly took a step back, bumping into the auburn-haired teen, as if some invisible being had just shoved him. Michiru gave the idol a pat on the shoulder, "What's the matter?"

"Kujyou… isn't glaring at me… like usual…" Jin managed to say, as if the idea was too much for him to comprehend. Or he was just being overly dramatic. Either way, it didn't matter.

And he had a point, as Michiru glanced back up, and saw that Kazune hadn't even _turned_ in their direction. A couple of the girls in their class were staring at the pair still by the door, and he pushed his friend in. He didn't like being left in the dark, and their actions were far too suspicious to pretend that it didn't exist.

"Hanazono-san…" he began in a sing-song voice, before he latched himself onto the brunette in question; she flinched at the contact, as expected.

Her shrieking in horror and hitting him in the face, with as much force as she could muster, though, he had not. For a moment, all Michiru could do was sit on the floor, in a daze. Even the painful throbbing of his face could not compare to the shock.

The activity in the classroom came to a sudden halt, as if time itself had stopped, as everyone turned to see what the commotion had been about (and a couple of the girls glared at Karin). For a moment, all they could do was stare and wait, in the tension, as Karin, flustered, tried to form a coherent sentence.

"A-ah, Mi-Micchi, I'm so sorry!" she spluttered, hands over mouth, clearly appalled by her own behaviour. "I didn't… I mean… that was just…"

"I guess I just caught you on a bad day, hm?" Michiru suggested with a smile, as he poked his cheek gently, only to wince. "I'm fine, Hanazono-san."

"Oh… okay…" Karin still seemed flushed with embarrassment, as the rest of the class turned away from the scene. As Michiru accepted Jin's (rather valiant) offer to help him up (as the others had yet to move), he turned to Kazune, who seemed to have a frown stuck permanently on his face. It had been there since that morning, and the auburn-haired teen had not been able to work it out.

Michiru ignored the possibility of being hit again - for invading personal space - and tapped Kazune on the shoulder to catch the other boy's attention. "Kazune-kun, would you be so kind as to enlighten us as to what's going on?"

Blue eyes flickered to the side, as the blond shot him a glance, before he continued to stare at the wall opposite. His mouth barely moved, as he muttered the words, just loud enough for Michiru (as well as Jin, who had sidled up between them) to hear.

"It's probably better if you read it for yourself. It's just…"

He seemed unable to finish the sentence, as the remaining two of the Sanki Shin were left completely lost. Miyon seemed to sense it, and pulled herself out of her daze, before handing over a folded newspaper to Michiru. He took it with a smile of thanks.

Miyon did not return the gesture, though, as he shook the paper out and scanned the first page briefly. For a moment, he could not believe what he had just read, and did a double take, as Jin read over his shoulder. As they tried to process the information, all the pair could do was exchange concerned glances, before Michiru looked back up at the quartet.

Suddenly, it all made sense.

"You mean to say… that Hara-san… is…?"

"Yeah, that girl," Kazune shook his head, "reported missing a week ago. No one knew where she'd gone."

"But this…" he held up the paper, almost hopelessly.

"—'Reported to be found dead from loss of blood due to various wounds', and no one knows why," Jin finished, looking grim. "She was that brunette, right? Usually quiet, but helpful enough. So… why would that happen to her? It doesn't make any sense."

"Seems almost surreal," Michiru said. "It's terrible."

"I know," Himeka glanced up at the others, as she continued, "I don't like this. I mean… this is… just…"

She couldn't seem to finish her sentence, as Karin tried her best to comfort her friend. As they all fell into their own, separate thoughts on the matter, the door suddenly clattered open and the teacher entered, as she told everyone to take their seats.

As the students did as they were told, Miyon mumbled something, shot her friends one last (somewhat frightened) glance, before she hurried away. Eventually, the others followed suit, and left Karin at her desk, who could only collapse back and worry over what had just been unveiled to them.

The goddess felt sickened to her stomach, although the thoughts that ran in her mind were almost intangible, and she could not hear what the teacher was saying. Karin wanted nothing more than to stay home, and closest to those she trusted with all her heart.

As the teacher continued to ramble, she could only stare out the window (although there wasn't much to focus on) and try to push the matter away for the time being. She had a test, she reminded herself weakly, but knew it was no use.

Michiru watched his friend from the corner of his eye, concerned, before his attention fell back on the paper, which sat, folded, on his lap. It seemed too innocent there; ready and willing to tell him of the news for the day, but he knew it was a façade. A lie.

It was a beautiful, sunny day out, but it definitely didn't feel like it.


End file.
